Wayne has threatened to sue The Legacy Castle, a banquet hall on Route 23, and officials in neighboring Pequannock over "menacing explosions" the mayor says can be heard when the venue sets off fireworks.

Mayor Christopher Vergano, who claimed he can hear the fireworks from his home on Irene Place, off Ratzer Road, said the sound of the catering hall's nighttime displays could be violating the township's noise ordinance.

"We're researching that now," the mayor said on Wednesday about a potential lawsuit. The castle is "interfering with the quality of life of our residents," and Pequannock is partially to blame, he said, because its officials have allowed the activity to go on.

The 82,000-square-foot facility, which is set back from the southbound side of the highway on 42 waterfront acres, opened for proms, weddings and other special events in September 2017.

The Legacy Castle on Route 23 south in Pequannock.(Photo11: File photo)

The project once was linked to the Manzo family, co-owners of The Brownstone in Paterson, and a name known to viewers of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey."

Vergano sent a sharply worded letter to Pequannock officials in October, expressing outrage with the fireworks. "These menacing explosions last on average 20 to 30 minutes and happen numerous times throughout the year," he wrote. "During what should have been a quiet fall evening, my community was yet again rocked by the deafening detonations coming from Pequannock."

Vergano was referring to a fireworks display at the castle on Oct. 21.

The castle issued two fire safety permits — at $427 apiece — for fireworks after that date, both in December.

Hillen said the castle also started using "quiet fireworks," bursts of color that published reports suggest are becoming more popular, especially where big bangs could stress noise-sensitive animals, children and combat veterans.

In November, the Pequannock Township Council imposed rules for the venue's fireworks, including a limit of 24 times per year.

A glimpse of the awe-inspiring interior of The Legacy Castle.(Photo11: Anders Krusberg/Special to NorthJersey.com)

The parameters also dictate the timing of displays. The council asked the business to cease fireworks at 8:45 p.m. on Thursday and Sunday, and at 9:15 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, during the school year. Fireworks are not allowed on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday during the school year, and in the summer, all displays must end at 10 p.m.

The venue also offered to limit each fireworks display to 15 minutes.

Pequannock Township Manager Adam Brewer said the castle's adherence to the rules is voluntary, but that the council might decide to establish a "legislative solution" if they are not followed.

Pequannock Mayor David Kohle acknowledged noise complaints due to the fireworks, saying officials are "working directly with the castle" to resolve them. "We want the castle to succeed," he said, adding "they're doing everything they need to do."

However, some residents of both towns say they are fed up with the noise.

“We can't allow a business to disrupt people's lives, miles away.”

Wayne Mayor Christopher Vergano

"It has improved a little bit, but it's still very loud," said Donna Cetani, of Greenwood Avenue in Pequannock. "It's very intrusive — it certainly disrupts the calm nature of our neighborhood."

Cetani said she lives so close to the catering hall that she also is worried about embers falling on her property. Luckily, she said, that has not happened.

"It was terrible, and I couldn't figure out what it was until I called the police," Joseph Loffredo, of Verkade Drive in Wayne, said about the first time he heard the fireworks. "It's extremely offensive and disturbing to the peace."

Not everyone dislikes the fireworks, however.

A woman who answered the phone, but declined to give her name, at Atrium Post Acute Care of WayneView, a 170-bed nursing home across the highway from the castle, said residents there like to look at the fireworks and are not bothered by their apparent noise.

Wayne's noise ordinance deems excessive sound a "serious hazard" to health and welfare. It allows a decibel level of 65, when measured outside on residential properties, between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., and 55, when measured indoors on such properties, during the same time frame.

"We can't allow a business to disrupt people's lives, miles away," Vergano said. "It's an inconvenience to our residents that they shouldn't have to put up with."

They made fireworks legal in New Jersey. Well, sort of. Here's what's legal and what's not - and us lighting off some legal ones for good measure.
Paul Wood Jr. and Jim Beckerman and Michael V. Pettigano, NorthJersey